Is this good news or bad news for Kaelan Casey, the West Ham United loanee with a big future at the Premier League outfit facing the first big plot-twist of his senior career?
Will this sudden yet not entirely unexpected development be to his benefit, or will it prove to be an untimely hindrance?
The answer to that question, of course, is how Swansea City’s new head coach – whoever that may be – feels about the highly-rated 20-year-old who was just starting to make his mark in South Wales.
On a night in which Kaelan Casey earned comparisons to one Marc Guehi, the Crystal Palace captain who made his own name during a loan spell with the Swans, manager Alan Sheehan praised the ‘outstanding’ West Ham kid for the way he stood up to Manchester City’s £150 million frontline during a valiant EFL Cup defeat.
Three games later, Sheehan was sacked. A freshly-printed P45 landing on his desk after Saturday’s less-than-valiant 4-1 hammering by Ipswich Town left Swansea 18th in the Championship table.
What Sheehan’s departure means for the West Ham United prospect, for now, remains a mystery.
West Ham United loanee Kaelan Casey will have a new manager at Swansea City
On the downside, Casey will surely have been disappointed by the timing of Sheehan’s sacking.
Though he was saved from the embarrassment of that Ipswich hammering from his spot on the bench – fellow centre-back Cameron Burgess felt the need to apologise on social media after scoring not one but two own goals against his former side – Casey had just come off the bench of three successive starts in league and cup.
His most sustained spell in the Swansea XI.
“[He was] outstanding,” Sheehan said after Man City needed two late goals from Omar Marmoush and Rayan Cherki to progress.
“Kaelan, when we’ve needed him, he’s come in and has been excellent. His attitude every day… [he and the rest of the younger players] train properly, they support their teammates, and when they get their opportunity, they are ready to go.”
Casey wants ‘more chances’ during Championship spell
On the other hand, 21-year-old Casey has only started two of 15 Championship matches. West Ham will therefore be hoping that Sheehan’s replacement – the name of Hammarby coach Kim Hellberg is doing the rounds in the media – is willing to put more trust in Casey than his predecessor did.
Sheehan, despite praising Casey’s maturity and his performances, preferred the more experienced duo of Burgess and Ben Cabango.
The Brentwood-born England Under-20 international does feel that he is benefitting from spending time alongside two Championship stalwarts in Burgess and Cabango on the training pitch. But West Ham did not loan him out with that in mind.
Casey needs to play regularly to develop his talents and return to the London Stadium a more mature, battle-scarred footballer.
A la Freddie Potts at Portsmouth, for instance. Or, for that matter, George Earthy and Callum Marshall at Bristol City and Huddersfield Town.
“I am learning so much every day working with the likes of Cam Burgess and Ben Cabango,” Casey said. “I hope I can get more chances in the future.”
Mark Noble wants West Ham youngsters to emulate Freddie Potts
West Ham have placed an extra emphasis on securing a brighter future in recent weeks, handing out new contracts to budding talents like Halloween candy to a bunch of hungry trick or treaters.
Mohamadou Kante extended his contract until 2031. Josh Landers, Ezra Mayers, Preston Fearon and Under-21 captain Airidas Golambeckis have also put pen to paper.
Nuno Espirito Santo gave Golambeckis the chance to impress at Rush Green too, before including him in the matchday squad for Saturday’s 3-2 victory over Burnley. And sporting director Mark Noble, a Hammers academy graduate himself, insists that the next generation can learn a lot from the progress of Potts, Marshall, Earthy and reigning Young Player of the Year Ollie Scarles.
Kaelan Casey’s name could be added to that list soon, provided that his impressive EFL Cup performances are translated onto the Championship stage post-Sheehan.
“We want them to push [the young players] on, like the boys that have done that in recent times. The likes of Freddie Potts, Calum Marshall, Ollie Scarles and George Earthy,” Noble tells the club’s official website.
“The Academy’s job is to keep supplying the first team with players who are ready to go. You look back at myself, then Declan Rice and Ben Johnson, that’s the tradition. We’ve got to keep producing players from within. That’s our job, and that’s what we want to keep doing.”
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